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An attendee reports on the Cornerstone “Christian” music festival.

When you think of a summer-time Christian music festivals, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Well, if you said zombies, you hit the nail on the head (sadly).

For those of you who would have never guessed zombies, and have no idea what zombies have to do with Christianity, then you evidently missed the Cornerstone Christian music festival and you’ll have to check out the article I’ve linked to below to understand what in the world I’m talking about.

We at DefCon have taken a beating time and time again whenever the subject of music comes up when we dare to question the type (and utter idolization) of music that has infiltrated the church and captivated this generation of professing Christians.

Perhaps what took place at the Cornerstone Christian music festival is simply one of those inevitable conclusions some of us have been sounding the warning about. Whatever it is, it should cause us to step back and re-evaluate what we allow to entertain us.

You will be utterly shocked at the report (and accompanying videos) of what this person experienced at a music festival operating under the guise of “Christian.” It seems that nowadays, we–and not God and His Word–define what “Christian” is (and anyone who dares question it best be ready for a fight).

If this music festival is what a generation of youth groups and contemporary Christian rock music has brought us to, I shudder to think of what American Christianity will look like in another ten years.

Lest some are persuaded to believe that the writer of the Apprising Ministries article (and this DefCon post) are casting aspersions and making judgments on the music festival based on a one-sided view, I offer for your consideration the following videos produced by the Cornerstone festival which should provide a better, all-around, perspective:

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14 thoughts on “An attendee reports on the Cornerstone “Christian” music festival.”

I read the article and all I can say is sick, sad, and shameful. I can only imagine what our Heavenly Father must be feeling as he views this, I am next to tears right now…as Al Martin says, “Oh the madness…”

Thank you for this update on such things. Your statement is very true:” It seems that nowadays, we–and not God and His Word–define what “Christian” is (and anyone who dares question it best be ready for a fight).” We truly live in a time of “subjective truth” (an oxymoron), build-a-bear “Christianity”, and “every man doing what is right in his own eyes” (Judges 17:6).

Yet the music itself is but a vehicle which excites emotion in the soul to connect the inner being to the desired message. Minstrels drawing their audience, in this case, to a different christ (same name, different person). Then that message further expounded, hour after hour, to further define their “messiah” (who has come to deliver them from the narrow way of fundamental Christianity, and free them to follow the god of their own invention).

This is a good example of an interesting idea that went horribly, horribly wrong and just kept going because nobody was paying attention.

The interesting idea is that Christianity is not the same as Victorian Lady. There are churches that will say explicitly that if you don’t have a suit, you shouldn’t go to church. There are churches that say explicitly that listening to music with an electric guitar is active Satanic worship. There are churches that say explicitly that if you are not angered by someone thinking highly of you, you are committing blasphemy in your heart. There are churches that say explicitly that only certain sex positions are blessed by God.

If you want to do extrabiblical criteria, might as well be Catholic; they got nice buildings and good job opportunities.

Now, where this went wrong was that in correctly discerning that not everything in youth culture is inherently evil, they went to the opposite level and assumed that nothing in youth culture is inherently evil. And this brings us to the goths.

The ENTIRE POINT of the modern goths is to celebrate nihilism; death in inevitable, obliteration a certainty, meaning a lie, so embrace and mock the end. “Oh death, where is thy sting?” As Christians, we need to stand against evil philosophy, and nihilism fits under that category.

Once people started going down the path of accepting what is not acceptable (and I will give benefit of the doubt that it was done not out of malice, but a genuine lack of knowledge), it had to keep going. The multiple piercings, while not Biblically forbidden (we would be shocked at some of the clothing choices of the Old Testament that were not forbidden), is linked to the gothic “we’re all gonna die, so party away!” image.

Once this Christian festival became joined at the hip to the goths, the train wreck continued to build up speed. Gospel presentations, which was probably supposed to be the purpose, became a sidelined watered down event that meant almost nothing. Even the idea of a Christian music festival became the Goth music festival with some Christian touches.

I am, by no stretch of the imagination, a prude. I am a big fan of classic horror, and my musical tastes are hard and heavy. That being said, this is a clear example of being so determined to do something that important details get missed – and those details end up taking over.

My only question is…Where are the Pastors…the men of God who should be speaking out against such heresy? Unfortunately many of them are in the midst of the heresy.

Why aren’t some of today’s “mainstream-headline” Pastors who are not involved in this heresy, where are they and why are they not speaking out?

Fortunately there are still some in the trenches getting their hands dirty to speak out against this type of thing in the church…actually I would not consider it the church if it allows these type antics to go on.

You won’t find this sort of outcry from churches anymore, because the damage has already been done, the church has been infiltrated, and the goal has been accomplished. The outcry will come from blogs such as this, who stick their necks out on the line and take a ton of persecution, and risk being shut down, prosecuted in the court system and stripped of everything they hold near and dear. Jesus was crucified for speaking out, so should we expect the same.

Speaking of Christian music festivals, I wrote to an evangelical couple who put together Light At The Lighthouse Christian Music Festival each year in San Pedro, Calif. Again this year they worked very closely with an anti-Deity–Anti-Trinitarian – off-shoot of The Way International. What a shame! This off-shoot is known as Christian Family Fellowship What do they think of our Lord jesus Christ http://www.cffm.org/teachings/trinity.shtml You can also find them listed at the largest off-shoots of The Way International at http://www.cortright.org/behome.htm Many of these groups have confused evangelical organizations. One Christian publisher after they were informed that one of these offshoots book denied the Deity of Christ, pulled this book. What a lack of discernment. Now we have Christian artists 8 Dove awards, attacking the Deity of our Lord Jesus in print and on tape. This artist even has some of his attacks on Way International off-shoots sites. How one can deny the Deity of the Savior he professes, and still perform concerts in Christian churches, is very sad indeed. May we stand on the real Jesus of Scripture.
Blessings,
James

I was an attender of Cornerstone from ’85 to ’87 and then a few years after that when they moved to the “farm” area. I grieve over the loss of the C-stone I used to know, especially over the changes in teaching. I don’t get sidetracked by the wild appearances of some of the folks who attend, but when the message is compromised and nothing is done about it, that is when I refuse to financially support it with a ticket. It used to be that a true radical was “not being conformed to the world but being transformed by the renewing of the mind” according to the Word of God. Now some invited teachers reject the atonement among other agendas. I have friends in the commune, so it’s hard to say this. Where did all the radicals go?

I’ve been attending Cornerstone Festival since for 11 years, and plan to go again this coming summer. It is a spiritual oasis for me. Each year I find wonderful fellowship, prayer, communion and worship. I encounter countless number of people seeking God’s kingdom.

I’m deeply thankful for the Cornerstone Festival. It’s been a blessing to me and my family.